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International Missing Children's Day 2020

International Missing Children’s Day (IMCD), 25 May, is a day where people around the world commemorate missing children who have found their way home; remember those who have been victims of crime; and continue efforts to find those who are still missing.

In Australia approximately three in five missing persons reports are related to a child or young person under the age of 18 and around the world it is estimated to be over a million missing children. Most children who are reported missing are found safe and well, but for those who are not, what follows can be months and years of heartbreak and confusion for their friends, families and communities.

To raise awareness of the issue, the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) contributes to an international campaign each year.

In 2020, the NMPCC will commemorate IMCD through a creative digital campaign that includes a short video with the theme #MissingChildrenDeserveAReunionToo.

The whole world has been impacted by COVID-19. The pandemic has seen huge changes to the everyday life of people around the globe and has forced many to live isolated in the unknown awaiting their reunion with the people, places and things they hold dear.

Most people can take some comfort in the fact that they will eventually be reunited with those they are missing. This is in stark contrast to the families and friends living with a missing child, desperately longing for their reunion day.

Through this campaign the NMPCC aim to raise awareness of the impacts of living with a missing child and also share the faces of some of Australia’s long term missing children.

There are steps everyone can follow to raise awareness of the issue of missing children and assist police with their investigations. You can: